I was recently tagged by my friend,Jenna @Bookmark Your Thoughtsto participate in this tag. Jenna is a fabulous blogger with a really lovely themed blog. Make sure to check out her blog and her answers to this tag too. 🙂

I really loved the idea of this book blog tag – working through the list of comparative questions was a great deal of fun. I hope you all enjoy my answers!

Reading on the Bed or the Couch?

Definitely the couch. Once upon a time I would have said bed, but I’ve recently upgraded my couch and it’s this massive affair with a “cuddler” section on my end that is absolutely the perfect place to pile in with pillows, a blanket, and a good book. It’s just so cozy!

Male Main Character or Female Main Character?

I am obsessed with strong female characters, always have been and probably always will be. I grew up obsessing over female characters like Buffy Summers and Ellen Ripley, and hoping that I could only be half as cool as them when I grew up.

Even though I’m a guy, I tend to relate a lot more to female driven narratives. There’s something about the empathy and openness in their narrative voices that I find really compelling and easy to relate to.

Sweet Snacks or Salty Snacks while reading?

Do people normally snack while reading? I don’t really. Actually, eating is the one time I usually set books aside completely to focus on my second love: food! Because heavy B likes to eat. 😂

Though I do like to have a cup of coffee or iced tea handy while I’m reading. Gotta stay hydrated you know?

Trilogies or Quartets?

I’ve gotta go with trilogies on this one. I feel like Quartets too often feel like the fourth book is tacked onto the tail end of a series that could have been completed in three books. I don’t know if it’s done as a marketing technique or what, but I prefer short and sweet series rather than ones that continue to get drawn out.

Reading First Person or Third Person POV?

I like them both, though I think the epic fantasy fan in me slightly prefers third person POV. It allows the world to feel larger, and more grand in scale, especially when the narrative voice incorporates what other characters are up to, or important details about the world.

Reading at Night, or in the Morning?

Morning, afternoon, evening? It’s all the same to me. I pretty much have to scrape and scrounge in order to find time to read during the day. In the morning, when I’m getting ready for work, I actually prop my kindle up on the counter in my bathroom so I can read while I’m making myself look vaguely presentable to face the public before I leave the house.

I also try and read on my lunch break at work, especially when I’m way into the book that I’m reading. It’s like I’m counting down the minutes until I can disconnect from reality and get back into the story. Then, in the evenings, when things settle down I can settle back in with my book of choice. So yes, to reading at night, and in the morning. Since I don’t have a TARDIS, I read whenever I can, basically.

Libraries or Bookstores?

I know you’re supposed to say Libraries for this one, but I am too addicted to buying books to not admit that I prefer bookstores. There is something truly magical about walking into a bookstore and knowing that I’m about to add one or two, or three books to my collection. Me to every book in the bookstore:

Books that make you laugh or cry?

I’m really hard pressed to find a book that actually pushes me to tears, so I’m going to go with books that make me laugh. I live for it when the humor is on point in a book, and characters are really witty or sassy, or sarcastic! It adds so much to the story and really can help make characters feel real.

Black book covers or white covers?

Definitely black book covers. I am obsessive about keeping my books looking nice and presentable, and find that white book covers are so much more difficult to keep clean! Plus, black book spines just look so nice on a bookshelf.

Character driven or Plot driven?

Character driven, definitely. The plot can be amazing, but if the characters don’t feel real, or if the voices of multiple characters within one story sound too similar, it sort of drags down my enjoyment of the work as a whole. I always derive joy from plots, of course, but it’s characters that I fall in love with and will return to a series or story for.

There we have it! That’s me done for.

Now I’m going to be brave and tag a few people – you lucky ones who don’t yet seem to be sick of me, and seem to get a kick out of book tags. If I haven’t tagged you, and you’d like to participate – feel free! Let me know in the comments below so that I know it’s okay to tag you in the future.

Mischenko, I wish I had bookstores around here that sold used books. They’ve all closed up shop unfortunately. I literally have drive 1.5 hours just to get to the closest Barnes and Noble, but it’s worth it!! 🙂

I think what i need nowadays is good standalone books. Everything is a series! I can’t keep up! 😀
I’m trying to read whenever i can as well. I usually read every evening, most morning and when it’s weekend i try during the day too. 😀

You know, I’m right there with you, Norrie. I’ve been craving more standalones lately. Series are becoming more and more of a commitment, as I’ve got so many going at once now. I can’t stop myself from beginning new ones before closing out the old ones.

Great answers!! While I have nothing but time on my hands to read whenever I want to for some reason I tend to always wait to pick up my book like an hour before bed. Also i grew up watching Buffy and still do sometimes.

I am always chuffed to meet another Buffy fan! I still watch it from time to time as well. Such a compelling story and characters. I’m a total procrastinator on the weekends when it comes to reading. I have to shut off the tv and my computer or else I find all my time I meant to dedicate towards reading just slips away.

This past week I’ve been sucked into to Netflix. I’ve been binge watching the show The 100 and that’s all I’ve wanted to do. I’ve had to force myself to not watch it that way I can get some other stuff done which is really hard when all I want to do is watch the show.

I love your answers! That “Goonies” gift is so relatable it’s scary haha! I feel like that every time I enter a bookstore. I’m a librarian…and my answer was still bookstores…oh well. I noticed a lot of people said that they don’t eat and read at the same time. I also have always thought that was a weird concept…I can’t imagine reading and eating at the same time…I also suck at multitasking. Your thoughts on strong female leads is great! I have to admit, I do feel a more emotional connection with female leads. However, I have found recently that many Male POVs have become more raw and deeper on an emotional level…one I can actually connect to. Oh…and thank you for the compliments!! You’re such a sweetheart, as always ♡

Haha I’m so glad someone recognized the Goonies gif. It definitely felt like a suitable representation of my mood every time I journey into a bookstore. Glad to hear that even a librarian shares my love of a good bookstore!

And I meant every word of my compliments. Love your blog and am proud to count you among my friends. ^_^

I adore the Goonies. My mom grew me up on a lot of 80’s films so they’re always my favourite. I rewatch it every year haha! Whenever I’m having a rough day, my colleague will mimic the rocky road voice and I just laugh so hard haha! Bookstores = life…just sayin. And oh my goodness…you just keep being so sweet. I’m extremely happy I joined this community, even though my review write ups havent been as vast lately lol! You are all such epic individuals.

I know the proper response to a tag is something to the effect of “OMG we have stuff in common let’s be BFF’s.”
But, you can’t mention a couch that allows for assumedly comfortable cuddles and reading without a picture. It sounds like something straight out of my super secret G-rated fantasies.

What a fun post! Regarding black/white books and your organizational choice, I also wish all books were the same height! It drives me bonkers when I alphabetize and one small books is between two hardcovers, that is why I love Book of the Month, all their books regardless of width are the same height! 😉

Thank you! And omg I am right there with you about uniform height for books. I hate to break up entries in series to different shelves, but I also really like all the books on my shelves to be the same height. It’s a constant battle. I wish hardcovers were all printed in the same uniform height.

I really enjoyed reading your answers and I think I want your couch, I love being able to curl up. Then at the end, there he was, the Goblin King himself, Jareth. Oh how I love Labyrinth. ‘You remind me of the babe!’ I can say this to any of my 3 adult kids and they all know the correct response. 😀

Haha I’ll keep in mind that you don’t want to be tagged in the future. I used to not participate in tags at all because I was terrible at remembering to do them. Now I just pick one a week and go with it. Glad you enjoyed this post!

I love Buffy! My mission in life, other than making people read is to make them watch and love Buffy as much as I do haha 😀
I used to read a lot at night, but lately, I’ve been reading more in the morning because I’m usually the first to arrive at the office and have some time to read.
Really enjoyed reading your answers! Feel free to tag me in the future 😀

A fun tag, thank you for sharing your answers. They gave me pause to think about my own reading habits. Though I’ve gotta say I’m a little bemused by the black covers vs white covers – didn’t realise that was a thing! I think I’ll share this tag on my own blog too.

Exactly! I really worry about staining book covers, etc. I actually usually take the outside jacket of hardcover books off when I’m reading them and tuck them away someplace safe so they can’t get damaged haha.

Ooooh, I loved reading your answers, Bentley! I totally agreed with most of them. I’m a sucker for a good couch, and that little spot sounds so comfy. Totally jealous. And I definitely don’t snack as well. And I also super agree about crying/laughing. I almost never ever cry over books, so the whole crying book appeal doesn’t work for me. Wonderful answers, Bentley, and I can’t wait to do it myself! Great post! 🙂

Great tag and post, I absolutely love Ellen Ripley as well she is one of my favorite main female lead I really need to read the Alien graphic novels and see if I would love the graphic novels like I love the Alien films. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post-Bentley.

I enjoyed reading your thoughtful answers to these prompts. I’m afraid I do snack when reading. I love a big bowl of Cheez-its and a glass of iced tea. 🙂 It’s interesting that you prefer female characters. I do too, but I thought it was just because I was female. You make an interesting point about empathy and openness being more common in narratives with female leads. Have you read James’ Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small? That’s a great book with a very empathic male lead.